The Duke frowned at me. ‘Now why would I want to do that? I have her, and soon I’ll have the scrolls back and, since they bear Duchess Patriana’s seal as well as mine, I may as well take the girl and make her a Queen after all. I’m sure that she will be pliable to my wishes after the proper training for a year or two.’
He looked down at Aline. ‘The little one has to die, though. She has unfortunate qualities I wish to see extinguished from the world.’
‘Why?’ I asked. ‘Why is it so important to kill off the Tiarren line?’
The Duke smiled. ‘Tatter-cloak, I couldn’t care less for the Tiarren line. Lord Tiarren was a buffoon and his Lady was only interesting to me insofar as her previous entanglements were concerned.’
‘You can’t do this,’ I said, though I had nothing whatsoever to back up my statement.
‘Why not? I seem to have an army behind me.’
‘We have a Saint,’ Brasti said, pointing at Kest.
‘Your Saint seems to be unconscious,’ the Duke replied.
‘My Lord, there’s someone coming up the path,’ Shiballe said.
The Duke looked around, and so did we. A stooped figure was making its way gradually up the hill.
‘Oh, hells, not her again,’ Brasti said.
‘Who?’ I asked.
‘You know who,’ she bellowed from halfway up the slope.
Several of the Duke’s men ran down and grabbed her. They dragged her to the Duke and dropped her at his feet.
‘Bless you, boys,’ the Tailor said to the soldiers. ‘I honestly didn’t think I’d make it up that hill.’
‘What are you doing here, old woman? Do you not value your life?’ Shiballe demanded.
‘Not especially,’ she said, ‘since no one else appears to. But to answer yer Lordship’s question, I came to deliver you a message and these here a gift.’
‘You have time for the message but not the gift, I’m afraid,’ the Duke said. He motioned to one of the soldiers and he brought his lance into line with the Tailor’s belly.
‘My Lord,’ Shiballe said, ‘I know who this woman is now. I’ve heard rumours about her, about her influence on the Greatcoats. She may have information as to their whereabouts. Give me leave to break the information from her.’
‘No need fer that, tubby,’ the Tailor said. ‘I’ll tell yer exactly what y’want to know – what you’ve wanted to know for a long time.’
‘And what’s that?’ the Duke asked, almost amused.
‘Where the Greatcoats are,’ she said casually, brushing more dirt from her sleeve.
‘Well then? Where are they?’
‘Ah,’ she said wagging a finger at him. ‘That’ll cost ye. Not much, mind; a very reasonable fee and one I’m sure ye’ll be willing to pay.’
‘My Lord, give the woman to me. I’ll—’
‘What do you want?’ the Duke asked.
‘It’s just a wee small thing,’ the Tailor said. ‘It’s jest that the Covenant you fine Dukes and the King agreed to, it’s always irked me. You can’t kill me; I can’t kill you … so if ye could just break it fer me, I’d be much appreciative.’
The Duke threw his head back and laughed. ‘The “Covenant”? Woman, don’t you think the Covenant’s been broken for some time now? What do you think I plan to do once you reveal the locations of the Greatcoats to me? Oh, old woman, have no fear. The Covenant is well and truly broken.’
‘Grand,’ she said; then, ‘See?’ She turned to Shiballe. ‘Now, was that so hard?’
Shiballe’s eyes were shifting furiously as he tried to understand what was happening. ‘Tell us then, you stupid old cow. Tell us where the Greatcoats are, if you truly know.’
The Tailor looked up at the Duke and then smiled. ‘They’re here,’ she said.
Then she screamed a single word at the sky, so loud and so clear that I swear the trees themselves would carry the sound imprinted in their bark for all time.
The word was, ‘Paelis.’